Over the past four years I have received a number of complaints from residents in the wards about skips - skips taking up parking spaces for weeks and full-to-the-brim skips have become a nuisance or an eyesore. My (unscientific) study of the problem over the past few years based on what I've seen whilst out and about in the ward and from emails I've received from constituents has led me to conclude that the worst affected streets in Redlands are Donnington Road, Donnington Gardens, Granby Gardens and Blenheim Road.
Yes, you guessed it - areas of Redlands and other parts of Town with high numbers of HMOs and student lets. Waste and parking are already problems in these areas without skips to add to the list. Skips must be licensed by the Council and they must not be left on streets indefintely.
Every overfull skip we see we report but we are concerned that RBC enforcement of skip licenses is not as good as it could be.
So I was pleased to see I'm not the only person who gets het up about this problem as I read on GetReading today that local PCSOs are taking a proactive approach to tackling overfull skips. My guess is we have Kevin Sinfield - until recently the longstanding Thames Valley Police Inspector for South and East Reading to thank for this Police initiative.
Kevin, an incredible, community-minded Police Officer who I have got to know very well over the past few years and who won TVP's Neighbourhood Bobby of the Year Award in 2009 often commented to me how the high number of skips in central Reading made the Town look.
Athough managing skip licenses and problems is technically a Council responsibility Kevin instructed his officers to report any skips they saw to the Council to be sorted out. We need more Police officers like Kevin and Katie! Kevin recently moved to work in Wokingham - he will be much missed by councillors and residents in Redlands alike.
As soon as I mentioned the subject of skips on Twitter a constituent got in touch to say that there are currently two overfilled skips on Blenheim Road are causing a nuisance to residents. It appears that one of them might have been in situ since the Summer! I have instructed officers to investigate the status of the skip's licence. With luck these blights on our area should be moved soon.
If skips are a problem in your street please get in touch and we will be happy to help.
In the meantime, check out this video that Glenn and I made last year with the help of Lib Dem Councillor for Katesgrove, Warren Swaine:
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